JP2005233647A - Navigation system and traffic information guidance program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To search a detour or receive information for evading a traffic accident even at the time the route is not yet settled. <P>SOLUTION: By a navigation system, a driver has been learned in a road (utilization road) and its arrival point which he/she used to pass through on a routine basis. On the learned utilization road, if information (traffic information) on an occurrence of a traffic accident such as a traffic congestion or traffic stop is received, he/she informs the accident and searches the detour. For learning the utilization road, the road information from power on time to the power off time correlating with the power off time position (arrival point) is memorized. When receiving the traffic information, whether he/she is running on the road which has memorized or not is determined by determining whether the running road has memorized or not. If the traffic accident occurs while he/she is running on the utilization road, the detour can be searched by setting the memorized point (arrival point) correlated with the utilization road as the destination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device having a function of notifying traffic information acquired from the outside and searching for a detour considering traffic information.

Conventional navigation devices provide useful information for the driver, such as map display and route guidance. In recent years, a communication device that receives traffic information can be mounted on the vehicle, and when the received traffic information is displayed on a display or traffic jams occur on the route, it is possible to search for a detour that takes traffic information into consideration. There is also a route guidance method (for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-186049 ([0026], [0027], FIG. 8).

  There is a demand to search for a detour when a traffic event such as traffic congestion or traffic closure occurs even when traveling on a road that is usually traveled such as a commuting road or a home road. However, the route guidance method described above makes it possible to search for a detour when a destination is set and route guidance is being performed, and when route guidance is not being performed, such as when traveling on a normal road, etc. It is limited to the display of traffic information on the display device and cannot meet the above demand. Therefore, in order to search for a detour when route guidance is not performed, the user needs to set a destination.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that can provide information for searching for a traffic event and search for a detour even when a route is not set. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the navigation device enables searching by setting the route to the set destination in consideration of the traffic information received from the outside by the route setting means. In the above, the history information of the road traveled by the storage means is stored as a use route, and if the route is not set, whether or not a traffic event has occurred in the use route stored in the storage means based on the received traffic information When a traffic event occurs on the usage route, the travel determination device determines whether the traffic event is occurring on the usage route where the traffic event has occurred. When it is determined that the user is traveling on the used road, the notification means informs the user that a traffic event has occurred on the used road and / or information on the traffic event that has occurred. You It is characterized in.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device capable of searching and setting the route to the set destination in consideration of traffic information received from the outside by the route setting means, the storage means The history information of the road traveled by is stored as a usage route, and when the route is not set, the travel determination unit determines whether or not the travel route stored in the storage unit is traveling, and the vehicle is traveling Is determined based on the traffic information received by the traffic determination means, it is determined whether or not a traffic event has occurred on the usage road on which it is traveling, and the traffic road on which the traffic event has occurred is traveling When the determination is made, the notification means notifies the user that a traffic event has occurred on the road being used and / or information related to the traffic event that has occurred.

  In any of the above claims (Claim 1 or 2), when a route is not set, it is possible to notify information related to a traffic event effective for avoiding the traffic event. In addition, since the road history information at the time of traveling is stored as a use road, it is possible to identify a road where the user is likely to travel from now on by referring to the stored road history. Therefore, when a traffic event has occurred on a road where the user is likely to travel, information related to a traffic event effective for avoiding the traffic event can be notified.

  In the invention described in claim 3, the storage means in claim 1 or 2 stores the use road and the destination of the use road in association with each other, and a traffic event occurs on the use road that is running In addition, the route setting means searches for a route that takes traffic information into account by setting a point on the running route that is capable of avoiding the traffic event or an arrival point stored in association with the route to be used as a destination. And set as a detour.

  This makes it possible to automatically set a detour that efficiently avoids a traffic event that has occurred, even if the route is not set when traffic information is received. Can be reduced.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, since the storage means described in claims 1 to 3 stores the history information of the road that has been traveled as the use route when the route is not set, it is frequently used. It is possible to store a route such as a commuting route to be used as a usage route. Accordingly, it is possible to store a use route that is likely to travel when route setting is not performed, and to perform notification based on traffic information and guidance of a detour.

  In the fifth aspect of the present invention, the storage means according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention is provided between the time when the start switch operated at the start of traveling and the time when the stop switch operated at the end of traveling is operated. The traveled road history is stored as one use road. Therefore, it is possible to store a road that has traveled from the start of travel to the end of travel as a usage route. Here, the operation of the start switch is, for example, wearing a seat belt, shifting the drive gear of the vehicle (operation from parking to drive), inserting an engine key, turning on a power switch such as ACC, Release. The operation of the stop switch includes, for example, an operation of removing a seat belt, a shift of a driving gear of the vehicle (operation to parking), an extraction of an engine key, an OFF operation of a power switch such as an ACC, an operation of a side brake, etc. . And it is good also as operation of starting or stopping combining the above-mentioned operation.

  Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 6, by executing the traffic information guidance program, the route to the set destination can be searched and set in the route setting step in consideration of the traffic information received from the outside. The history information of the road traveled in the storage step is stored as a use route, and when the route is not set, a traffic event occurs on the use route stored in the storage step based on the received traffic information. In the traffic judgment step, if it has occurred, it is judged in the travel judgment step whether it is traveling on the usage road where the traffic event has occurred, and the occurrence of the traffic event. In the case of traveling on a used road, in the notification step, inform the user that a traffic event has occurred on the used road and / or information on the traffic event that has occurred. Features .

  And according to the invention of claim 7, by executing the traffic information guidance program, the route to the set destination is searched in the route setting step in consideration of the traffic information received from the outside, It is possible to set, and the history information of the road traveled in the storage step is stored as a use route, and when the route is not set, whether or not the travel route stored in the storage step is traveling is determined in the travel determination step. Judgment is made to determine whether or not a traffic event has occurred on the traveling road on the basis of the traffic information received in the traffic judgment step when traveling on the stored usage road. When it is determined that a traffic event has occurred, the notification step informs the user that the traffic event has occurred on the road being used and / or information on the traffic event that has occurred The And butterflies.

  In any of the above claims (Claim 6 or 7), when a route is not set, it is possible to report information on the received traffic event in order to avoid the traffic event. In addition, since the road history information at the time of traveling is stored as a use road, it is possible to identify a road where the user is likely to travel from now on by referring to the stored road history. Therefore, when a traffic event has occurred on a road where the user is likely to travel, information related to a traffic event effective for avoiding the traffic event can be notified.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 8, by executing the traffic information guide program, the use route and the arrival point of the use route are stored in the storage step described in claim 6 or 7, and on the use route being traveled. If a traffic event occurs at the destination setting step, the destination point stored in association with the point on the road that is being traveled that can avoid the traffic event or the road that is being traveled in the memory step is stored in the destination setting step. It is set as a place, and the route to the destination set in the detour setting step is searched in consideration of traffic information and set as a detour.

  Therefore, even if the route is not set when traffic information is received, it is possible to automatically set a detour that efficiently avoids the traffic event that has occurred, and burdens the user with complicated operations. Can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 9, by executing the traffic information guide program, in the storage step described in claims 6 to 8, the history information of the road traveled when the route is not set is used. It memorizes as. Therefore, since routes such as commuting routes that are frequently used are memorized especially as used routes, it is possible to memorize used routes that are likely to travel when route setting is not performed, and notifications and detours based on traffic information Is possible.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 10, by executing the traffic information guidance program, in the storing step described in claims 6-9, the end of driving is started from the time when the start switch operated at the start of driving is operated. The road history traveled up to the time of operation of the stop switch operated at times is stored as one use road. Therefore, it is possible to store a road that has traveled from the start of travel to the end of travel as a usage route.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an in-vehicle navigation device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the navigation device of this embodiment. The navigation device includes a position detector 1, a map data storage device 6, an operation switch group 7, a control circuit 8, a display device 9, an external memory 10, and a transceiver 11. Each of the position detectors 1 includes a known geomagnetic sensor 2, a gyroscope 3, a vehicle speed sensor 4, and a GPS receiver 5 for GPS (Global Positioning System) that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. doing. Since these sensors 2, 3, 4, 5 have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being interpolated by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, a part of the above may be used, and a steering rotation sensor, a distance sensor, or the like may be used. The position detector 1 detects the current position of the vehicle (own vehicle position), and can acquire road information on the basis of map data in the map data storage device 6. As in the case of the conventional navigation device, a map around the vehicle position can be displayed on the display device 9 with the vehicle position mark indicating the vehicle position added.

  The map data storage device 6 stores map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection, data for displaying various maps including map data and facility data, and the like. The map data stored in the map data storage device 6 is a map formed by connecting a plurality of nodes such as intersections by links, and a unique number (link ID) for identifying each link. ), Link length indicating the link length, X and Y coordinates of the start and end of the link, the road width of the link, and link information including road type (indicating road information such as toll road). The The structure of the map data using the link information and the like is the same as the conventional one. When searching for a route, a cost is added for each node or link depending on the link length, road type, etc., and finally the departure place ( Among the routes from the current position) to the destination, the route with the lowest cost is selected as the optimum route. As a storage medium of the map data storage device 6, a DVD-ROM or a hard disk is generally used, but a medium such as a memory card may be used.

  The operation switch group 7 is composed of, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 9, a remote control terminal, and the like. Enables a function to input various information such as destination setting at the time of search.

  The control circuit 8 is configured to have computer means, and includes a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and a bus line for connecting these configurations. Of these, ROM stores program data for car navigation, traffic information guidance programs, and the like as program storage media, and RAM stores data, map data acquired from the map data storage device 6 and the like as necessary for program execution. Store temporarily. The control circuit 8 executes various programs to execute various control processes in the navigation apparatus such as a map display, a use route learning process and a detour search process to be described later, and the processed information is displayed by the display apparatus 9 or the like. It has a function to notify. The control circuit 8 has functions corresponding to route setting means, traffic determination means, and travel determination means in the present invention.

  The display device 9 mainly uses a liquid crystal display device, but a CRT display device, an organic EL display, or the like can also be used, and has a function corresponding to the notification means in the present invention. And a map, the own vehicle position mark, a guidance route, traffic information, etc. are displayed, and it becomes possible to notify a user of information useful for driving. In addition, you may add the speaker (not shown) which performs an audio | voice guidance as an alerting | reporting means in this invention.

  The external memory 10 is composed of a writable nonvolatile storage medium such as an HDD or a flash ROM, and has a function corresponding to the storage means in the present invention. That is, data that should not be erased even when the power is turned off is stored, such as learned use routes (described later), set destinations, correspondence data between received traffic information and target roads, and the like.

  The transceiver 11 is a device that receives traffic information and the like provided from the outside (for example, an infrastructure such as the information (VICS) center 12) and transmits the information to the outside as necessary. It has a corresponding function. Specifically, this corresponds to a VICS receiving unit or a mobile phone. Information received from the transceiver 11 is processed by the control circuit 8.

  In the above configuration, this navigation device learns the roads (usage roads) that travel normally and its arrival point, and when it receives information on the occurrence of traffic events such as traffic jams and traffic closures on the learned usage roads, The notification and a search for a detour are performed.

  A traffic event response process when a route is not set by such a navigation device will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a use route learning process for learning a use route and its arrival point, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a detour search process executed when receiving traffic information. A program for executing these flowcharts is shown in FIG. It is stored in the ROM in the control circuit 8.

  In the use route learning process, a road that has been run from the point where the power of the navigation device is turned on until the next time the power is turned off is set as a travel road (use route) for one section, and the point where the power is turned off is used. The arrival point of the road. Then, the use route and its arrival point are associated with each other and stored in the external memory 10. The use route learning process may be executed not only when the route is not set but also when the route is set and traveled. In this case, the searched route to the set destination or the road on which the user deviated from the searched route is used as the use route, and the set destination is associated with the arrival point of the use route as an external route. Store in the memory 10. Moreover, although the example which starts when the power supply of a navigation apparatus is turned on is demonstrated in the use route learning process (FIG. 2) in this embodiment, when setting a destination and driving | running | working, a use learning process is performed. You may make it start at the time of a setting, a route setting, or driving | running | working start.

  In FIG. 2, first, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 200, the current position of the vehicle is acquired from the position detector 1, and the process proceeds to S201. In S201, it is determined whether or not the power of the navigation device is turned off. When it is determined that the power of the navigation device has been turned off (S201: YES), it can be determined that one section has ended, so the current position information acquired in S200 is stored in the external memory 10 as the arrival point of the usage route (S204). Then, the use route learning process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the power of the navigation device is not turned off (S201: NO), the road information on the road is acquired in S202. Here, the traveling road information can be acquired by referring to the link information of the map data stored in the map data storage device 6 based on the current position information acquired in S200. Thereafter, in S203, the road information acquired in S202 is stored in the external memory 10, and the process proceeds to S200. Note that the processing from S200 to S203 is repeated until the power of the navigation device is turned off.

  As described above, by repeatedly performing steps S200 to S203 until the power of the navigation device is turned off, it is possible to sequentially store information on roads traveled from the time the power is turned on to the time when the power is turned on. . In the external memory 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the use route information 31 and the arrival point 30 (the point when the power is turned off) are stored in association with each use route.

  In the processing flow of FIG. 2, all the usage routes are written in the external memory 10, but the location where the power is turned off after the temporary storage in the RAM or the like without storing all the usage routes is the destination. If it is a set point or a point registered as a memory point, it may be written in the external memory 10. Alternatively, the information may be stored when the power is turned off at the same point a plurality of times within a predetermined period and the vehicle travels on the same road. The use route learning is started and ended by turning on / off the vehicle accessory power supply (ACC), attaching / detaching the seat belt, inserting the vehicle drive gear, inserting the engine key, operating the side brake, etc., or a combination thereof. Anyway.

  Next, a detour search process that is started when traffic information is received from the information (VICS) center 12 will be described. In FIG. 4, first, the current position of the vehicle is acquired from the position detector 1 in S400, and the road information during traveling is acquired in the same manner as S202 in FIG. 2 (S401). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling on the use road learned in S402. Here, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle is traveling on the learned usage route is performed by determining whether or not the usage route including the road information acquired in S401 is stored in the external memory 10. It should be noted that not all the usage routes stored in the external memory 10 are used for the determination, but only the usage routes that have traveled on the same road and turned off the navigation device at the same point for a predetermined number of times (multiple times) are used for the determination. You may do it. That is, in S402, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a usage route that is frequently used.

  When it is determined that the user has not traveled on the learned usage route (S402: NO), the process proceeds to S408. In S408, the received traffic information is displayed on the map displayed on the display device 9, and the received traffic information is notified to the user in the same manner as in the conventional navigation device, and the detour search processing is terminated. To do. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling along the learned usage route (S402: YES), whether or not a traffic event has occurred within the section of the usage route being traveled based on the traffic information received in S403. Determine whether. Here, it is determined whether the road specified by the received traffic information is included in the section of the usage road determined to be traveling in S402 among the usage roads stored in the external memory 10. .

  When it is determined that the received traffic event has not occurred in the section of the use road that is running (S403: NO), the process proceeds to S408, and normal traffic information is notified. On the other hand, when it is determined that a traffic event has occurred within the section of the usage route being traveled (S403: YES), traffic information is notified in the same manner as in S408 (S404), and a search for a detour is made in S405. Do. In the detour search process, first, the information is stored in the external memory 10 in association with a point on the traveling use road that can avoid the traffic event notified in S404 or a use road determined to be traveling in S402. The arrival point 30 to be set is set as a temporary destination. Thereafter, the cost of the road (link) specified from the received traffic information is changed according to the traffic information, and a detour is searched by link cost calculation such as the Dijkstra method as in the conventional route search. The cost of the link is changed based on the received traffic information, taking into account the type of traffic event (congestion, regulation, traffic closure, etc.) and the time required to pass through the congested road. Shall.

  After the search for the detour in S405 is completed, it is determined in S406 whether there is a detour. If it is determined that there is a detour (S406: YES), detour guidance is started in S407. The guidance of the detour is performed in the same way as the conventional route guidance, or the detour is highlighted on the display device 9 to guide the user. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no detour (S406: NO), the user is notified by voice or display on the display device 9 that there is no detour in S409.

  As described above, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, traffic information is received from the outside by learning a road to be used and its arrival point (destination) even when a route is not set. In this case, it is possible to automatically search for a detour that avoids a traffic event based on the traffic information.

  In the processing flow of FIG. 4, first, it is determined whether or not the train travels on the learned use route (S402), and then, based on the received traffic information, the traffic event is within the section of the use route that is running. It is determined whether or not it exists (S403), it is first determined from the received traffic information whether or not a traffic event has occurred within the section of the usage route stored in the external memory 10, and then You may make it determine whether it is drive | working the use road in which the traffic event has generate | occur | produced.

  In the present embodiment, S203 and S204 correspond to the storage step in the present invention, S403 corresponds to the traffic determination step in the present invention, S402 corresponds to the travel determination step in the present invention, and S404 corresponds to the notification step in the present invention. Then, the destination setting step and the detour setting step in the present invention are executed in the detour search process of S405.

It is a lineblock diagram of a navigation device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the utilization path learning process which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the information memorize | stored in a use route learning process. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the detour search process which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Position detector 2 ... Geomagnetic sensor 3 ... Gyroscope 4 ... Vehicle speed sensor 5 ... GPS receiver 6 ... Map data storage device 7 ... Operation switch group 8 .... Control circuit 9 ... Display device 10 ... External memory 11 ... Transmitter / receiver 12 ... Information (VICS) center

Claims (10)

A navigation device comprising route setting means for searching for a route to a destination set in consideration of traffic information received from the outside and enabling setting,
Storage means for storing history information of a road that has traveled as a use road;
A traffic determination means for determining whether a traffic event has occurred on a use route stored in the storage means based on the traffic information when a route by the route setting means is not set;
Travel determination means for determining whether or not the traffic determination means is traveling on the use road determined that a traffic event has occurred;
When it is determined by the travel determination means that the vehicle is traveling on a use road where a traffic event has occurred, a traffic event has occurred and / or has occurred on the use road on which the user is traveling A navigation device comprising notification means for reporting information relating to a traffic event. A navigation device comprising route setting means for searching for a route to a destination set in consideration of traffic information received from the outside and enabling setting,
Storage means for storing history information of a road that has traveled as a use road;
Travel determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a use route stored in the storage means when the route set by the route setting means is not set;
Traffic determination means for determining whether or not a traffic event has occurred on a use road determined to be traveling by the travel determination means based on the traffic information;
When it is determined by the traffic determination means that a traffic event has occurred on the usage road that is being traveled, the traffic event that has occurred on the usage road that is being traveled by the user and / or traffic that has occurred A navigation device comprising notification means for reporting information related to an event. The storage means stores the usage route in association with the arrival point of the usage route,
When a traffic event occurs on the traveling road that is running, a point on the usage road where the traffic event can be avoided or an arrival point stored in association with the usage road is set as a destination, and the route setting means 3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein a route that takes traffic information into account is searched and set as a detour. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the storage unit stores history information of the traveled road as a use route when route setting by the route setting unit is not performed. The storage means stores a road history traveled from the time of operating a start switch operated at the start of travel to the time of operation of a stop switch operated at the end of travel as one use road. 5. The navigation device according to 1 to 4. A route setting step for searching for a route to a set destination in consideration of traffic information received from the outside and setting the route,
A storage step of storing history information of the road that has been traveled as a use route;
A traffic determination step for determining whether or not a traffic event has occurred on the use road stored in the storage step based on the traffic information when the route is not set;
A travel determination step for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a use road that is determined to have a traffic event in the traffic determination step;
If it is determined in the travel determination step that the vehicle is traveling on a usage road in which a traffic event has occurred, a traffic event has occurred and / or has occurred on the usage road on which the user is traveling A traffic information guidance program comprising a notifying step for notifying information on traffic events. A route setting step that searches for a route to a destination set in consideration of traffic information received from the outside and can be set,
A storage step of storing history information of the road that has been traveled as a use route;
A travel determination step for determining whether or not the travel route stored in the storage step is traveling when the route is not set;
A traffic determination step for determining whether or not a traffic event has occurred on a use road determined to be traveling in the travel determination step based on the traffic information;
If it is determined in the traffic determination step that a traffic event has occurred on the usage road that is running, the traffic event that has occurred on the usage road that is running to the user and / or traffic that has occurred A traffic information guide program comprising an informing step for informing information about an event. In the storing step, the usage route and the arrival point of the usage route are stored in association with each other,
A destination setting step for setting, as a destination, a point on the usage road where the traffic event can be avoided or an arrival point stored in association with the usage road when a traffic event occurs on the running road;
The route to the destination set in the destination setting step is searched taking the traffic information into account, and includes a detour setting step for setting as a detour. Traffic information guidance program. The traffic information guide program according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein in the storing step, when the route is not set, history information of the road that has traveled is stored as a use route. The road history in which the vehicle has traveled from the time of operating the start switch operated at the start of travel to the time of operation of the stop switch operated at the end of travel is stored as one use road. The traffic information guidance program according to 6 to 9.